When bedtime calls, unless you’re in a relaxed enough state to nod off then it’s going to be a long, long night. And that’s not all you’re dealing with: the quality of sleep achieved if you’re feeling anxious before bed will leave you feeling lacklustre from head-to-toe, because precious parts of deep rest have been stolen. The result is everything, from high brain functions to skin renewal, feels like a ransacked drawer.
1. Develop a soothing skincare routine
Keeping up the familiar ritual of a beauty routine before bed benefits in two ways. It helps train the brain to wind-down, so sleep comes more quickly. And it makes the most of your skin’s circadian rhythms. This biological process recognises when it’s night and tells your skin cells to regenerate out of the way of harmful daytime UV light. Between 8pm and 5am, rest and sleep is therefore vital for maintaining skin cell health, with 11pm – 3am crunch time for cell regeneration. It doesn’t need to be complicated. Start the process by splashing your face with some lukewarm water, before applying some Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Micro Cleansing Foam, relishing its calming fragrance of lavender and camomile. Massage the foam in carefully with your fingers, working outwards, and down to the neck. Now, apply a drop of lavender oil on your hands, feet and and pulse points.
2. Try a simple mindfulness trick
Practising mindfulness can also help. The opiate of modern society costs nothing –a reason to feel relaxed right away. Psychotherapist and beauty journalist Jess Henley recommends a straightforward breathing exercise for stressed-out clients, and uses it herself before bed. “For a minimum of 60 seconds, and aiming for three minutes, focus only on your breath, as it passes in, through, and out of your body. Notice how it feels as it journeys through your nose, throat and lungs. Notice the temperature and any sensation. There’s no mantra, no right or wrong. Notice your thoughts but judge nothing, and let them go,” she says. “Most people are totally split; in their head the whole time, not listening to the body shouting for help. Mindfulness brings the two together, which means you’re then ready for a restful sleep.”
3. Make a holistic hot milk drink
Yoga teacher and wellbeing expert Jane Kersel says drinking turmeric almond milk is a fast way to relax and prepare the mind, body and skin for bed. “It’s anti-inflammatory, to boost skin repair at night, it’s alkalising, which aids digestion during rest, and like all milky bedtime drinks, it’s calming,” says Kersel. Try her recipe:
Turmeric almond milk recipe
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp honey or agave
• Pinch of salt to taste
Warm over a medium-low heat.
4. Do the easiest yoga pose in the world
Viparita Karani is a restorative, relaxing yoga pose that Kersel recommends as a pre-bed treatment when you’re stressed. Lie on the floor, with your bottom next to the wall and your legs resting up the wall, so the body is in an L-shape, arms out to the side. Note: if your hamstrings are tight, just move your bottom away from the wall. Get up there gently, swinging your legs as one, from lying on your side. Make it as cosy and nurturing as your stress level dictates – a folded blanket square underneath you, another on top, cashmere socks, an eye pillow for the face.
5. Turn your aromatic soak into float
An alternative tonic is bathing in the dark, to calm strung-out senses. Run a deep, warm-not-hot bath with Himalayan salt that remineralises the skin, and add drops of rose oil, which is uplifting, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and acts as a sedative. Turn the light off, get in, and take slow, deep breaths as you count up to 10, and then backwards, on repeat, until you start to feel your mind and body relaxing. Then put on a robe and lie down on your bed while your temperature rebalances. Continue the breathing exercise if you need to.
